UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA     AGRICULTURAL    EXPERIMENT   STATION 

BENJ.    IDE    WHEELER,    PRESIDENT 

THOMAS     FORSYTH     HUNT,    DEAN  AND   DIRECTOR 

H.    E.    VAN     NORMAN,    VlCE-DlR  ECTOR    AND    DEAN 

University  Farm  School 


COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE 
BERKELEY 


CIRCULAR  No.  207 
February,  1919 


NEUFCHATEL  CHEESE 


By  H.  S.  BAIRD 


Fig.  1.     Molding  Neufchatel  Cheese. 


Neufchatel  cheese  is  one  of  the  common  soft  cheeses  and  when 
properly  made  is  a  very  palatable  food.  Its  production  affords  the 
person  who  has  a  small  amount  of  surplus  milk  an  outlet  for  his 
product,  and  its  manufacture  is  practical  on  a  large  scale.  Neufchatel 
cheese  is  not  difficult  to  make  when  the  proper  method  is  carefully 
followed.  It  can  be  made  either  from  goat's  milk  or  cow's  milk  but 
goat's  milk  usually  makes  a  smoother,  closer-grained  product.  The 
whole  milk  is  generally  used  and  it  should  be  sweet,  testing  not  over 
0.18  per  cent  acid. 

The  milk  may  be  either  raw  or  pasteurized ;  pasteurization  is  advis- 
able, since  it  will  insure  a  better-keeping  and  more  uniform  cheese,  as 
well  as  destroy  disease-producing  bacteria  which  may  be  present  in  the 
milk.  If  the  milk  is  pasteurized  it  should  be  heated  to  a  temperature 
of  140°  to  145°  F  and  held  at  that  temperature  for  twenty-five  minutes 
after  which  it  should  be  cooled  quickly  to  72°  F. 

Where  the  cheese  is  made  on  a  small  scale  home-made  pasteurizing 
equipment  can  be  constructed.     In  case  steam  is  available  a  barrel 


may  be  used  for  a  water  bath.  The  upper  part  of  the  barrel  should 
be  cut  off,  so  as  to  make  it  of  a  convenient  height  for  the  person  doing 
the  work.  The  barrel  should  be  piped  with  both  steam  and  cold  water 
so  that  both  pasteurizing  and  cooling  can  be  done  in  the  same  con- 
tainer. A  hole  should  be  made  in  the  side  of  the  barrel  near  the  bottom 
to  be  used  for  a  drain  and  one  higher  to  be  used  for  the  overflow. 
The  upper  hole  should  be  at  a  height  and  of  such  size  as  will  prevent 
the  water  from  overflowing  into  the  can  of  milk.  In  case  steam  is  not 
available  a  metal  container  should  be  used  for  the  water  bath  so  that  it 
can  be  set  on  a  stove  for  heating. 


Fig.  2.     Apparatus  for  Making  Neufchatel  Cheese  on  a  small  scale. 

The  milk  is  usually  placed  in  five-gallon  shotgun  cans  (see  fig.  2). 
Even  where  Neufchatel  cheese  is  made  on  a  large  scale  the  milk  is 
placed  in  five-  or  ten-gallon  cans  in  order  to  insure  a  Uniform  tem- 
perature. After  the  milk  has  been  pasteurized  and  cooled  to  72°  F 
the  water  bath  should  be  tempered  to  the  same  degree. 


SETTING 

In  making  Neufchatel  cheese  "setting"  refers  to  the  addition  of 
starter  and  rennet.  Starter  (good  clabbered  milk)  should  be  added  at 
the  rate  of  25  to  50  cubic  centimeters*  (about  1  to  2  ounces)  per  100 
pounds  of  milk.  When  making  large  quantities  of  milk  into  cheese  a 
commercial  lactic  starter  should  be  used.  A  commercial  starter  is 
one  prepared  in  a  special  laboratory  and  contains  a  pure  culture  of 
the  desired  bacteria.  These  starters  may  be  secured  from  the  labora- 
tory or  through  the  dairy  supply  houses.  Directions  for  handling 
starters  should  be  requested  when  securing  the  first  culture.  A  25- 
cubic  centimeter  pipette  graduated  to  tenths,  to  be  used  for  measuring 


*  One  teaspoon  level  full  contains  3*4  cubic  cer>Hmeters. 


the  rennet  and  starter,  will  also  be  furnished  by  any  dairy  supply 
house. 

Renet  is  added  at  the  rate  of  2y2  cubic  centimeters  per  100 
pounds  of  milk.*  Before  adding  it  to  the  milk  it  is  diluted  with  twenty 
times  its  volume  of  cold  water.  Care  must  be  taken  not  to  add  too 
much  rennet,  as  it  will  cause  a  coarse-grained,  poor-quality  cheese. 
The  rennet  and  starter  should  be  mixed  thoroughly  with  the  milk,  the 
can  covered  and  the  milk  allowed  to  stand  in  the  water  bath  for  fifteen 
to  eighteen  hours. 

DRAINING 

The  curd  is  ready  to  drain  when  a  thin  layer  of  whey  appears  on 
top  and  at  the  sides  and  the  acidity  of  the  free  whey  tests  from  0.3 
to  0.5%.  The  curd,  at  this  time,  should  be  rather  firm.  A  low  acidity 
at  the  end  of  eighteen  hours  indicates  too  low  temperature  or  insuffi- 
cient starter.  If  the  acidity  is  too  high  it  is  probably  caused  by  the 
opposite  conditions. 

When  the  curd  is  in  proper  condition  it  should  be  poured  into 
drain  sacks,  without  cutting,  using  a  separate  cloth  for  each  can  of 
milk.  Cloth  used  for  draining  sacks  should  have  a  mesh  similar  to 
that  used  for  flour  sacks.  Ordinary  cheese  cloth  is  too  coarse  and 
will  allow  too  much  curd  to  escape.  The  sacks  of  curd  should  be  hung 
in  a  cool  place  to  drain,  which  usually  takes  about  eight  to  ten  hours. 
While  draining,  the  curd  should  be  rolled  in  the  sacks  and  thoroughly 
mixed,  occasionally,  in  order  to  prevent  the  cheese  next  to  the  cloth 
from  drying.  Failure  to  do  this  may  cause  a  lumpy  cheese.  In  some 
cases  the  curd  may  be  sufficiently  dry  after  draining  but  ordinarily 
it  requires  pressing  to  remove  the  excess  whey. 

PRESSING 

A  pressure  from  one  or  two  bricks  for  each  sack  of  curd  is  suffi- 
cient. The  sacks  of  curd  may  be  placed  between  two  boards  and  the 
bricks  placed  on  top,  or  it  may  be  placed  in  a  cheese  hoop  with  a 
follower  and  bricks  placed  on  top.  The  time  required  for  pressing 
will  depend  upon  the  condition  of  the  curd,  ordinarily  it  requires  about 
twelve  to  fourteen  hours. 

SALTING 

After  pressing,  the  curd  is  removed  from  the  sacks  and  salted  at 
the  rate  of  two  ounces  per  ten  pounds  of  curd.  After  thoroughly  mix- 
ing the  salt  with  the  curd  it  is  run  through  a  food  grinder  twice.  The 
grinding  gives  it  a  fine,  smooth  grain. 

This  cheese  is  usually  eaten  while  fresh,  although  it  may  be  cured 
for  a  month  or  six  weeks.  Good  Neufchatel  cheese  should  have  a  mild, 
clean  flavor  and  a  smooth,  buttery  texture  and  body.  It  should  con- 
tain about  55  to  60  per  cent  moisture.  A  cheese  which  is  too  dry  will 
usually  be  grainy  and  lumpy,  while  one  containing  too  much  moisture 
will  be  very  soft.  When  marketing  the  cheese  it  is  molded  and 
wrapped  in  special  forms  or  placed  in  special  containers. 


One  teaspoon  level  full  contains  3%  cubic  centimeters. 


MOLDING 

Neufchatel  cheese  is  commonly  molded  in  a  cylindrical  form,  1% 
inches  in  diameter  and  3%  inches  long,  and  wrapped  in  tinfoil  lined 
with  parchment  paper.  Very  often  the  cheese  is  tamped  in  a  small 
cylinder  made  of  tin  and  having  a  diameter  of  1%  inches.  After  the 
cylinder  is  filled  the  cheese  is  forced  out  and  cut  in  desired  lengths. 
The  apparatus  shown  in  Fig.  2  is  very  convenient  and  will  enable  one 
to  handle  considerable  cheese  per  hour.  It  consists  of  a  food  grinder 
constructed  for  attaching  a  sausage  stuffer.  Since  the  sausage  stuffer 
is  smaller  in  diameter  than  is  desired  for  the  cheese,  it  is  cut  off  back  to 
the  tapering  part  and  a  tube  of  the  desired  diameter  soldered  on.  A 
glass  or  metal  surface  should  then  be  built  so  that  it  will  fit  under  the 
tube  when  the  grinder  is  attached  to  a  table.  The  cheese  is  forced 
through  the  grinder  and  tube  on  to  the  stand  where  it  is  cut  with  a  wire 
knife  into  the  desired  lengths.  The  knife  consists  of  a  handle  on  which 
are  attached  two  wires.  The  distance  between  the  wires  is  the  desired 
length  of  the  cheese.  The  cheese  is  cut  with  this  knife  as  fast  as  it  is 
forced  on  to  the  glass  or  metal  surface,  and  is  then  ready  to  be 
wrapped  and  boxed. 

This  cheese  is  also  marketed  in  paraffined  paper  boxes,  although 
this  is  not  a  common  package.  Any  package  which  is  used  should  be 
practically  air-tight  and  one  which  will  not  absorb  water  from  the 
cheese.  An  air-tight  package  prevents  shrinkage  and  keeps  the  cheese 
in  good  condition  for  a  longer  period  than  one  which  is  not  air-tight. 

After  it  is  manufactured  the  cheese  should  be  kept  in  a  refrigerator 
until  sold. 

The  yield  of  Neufchatel  cheese  will  depend  upon  the  kind  of  milk 
used  and  upon  the  butterfat  test.  From  ordinary  cows'  milk  testing 
3.6  to  4  per  cent  fat,  the  yield  will  be  about  12  to  14  pounds  per 
hundred  pounds  of  milk. 

Neufchatel  may  be  used  as  a  vehicle  for  various  flavors  such  as 
pimento,  nuts,  chili,  etc.  These  should  be  added  in  sufficient  amounts 
to  give  the  desired  flavors. 


SUMMARY 

Neufchatel  is  a  type  of  soft  cheese  and  its  production  affords  an 
outlet  for  surplus  milk.  The  cheese  is  a  very  palatable  and  highly 
nutritious  food. 

This  cheese  is  made  either  from  cow's  or  goat's  milk,  but  goat's 
milk  is  preferable. 

The  apparatus  for  making  Neufchatel  cheese  on  a  small  scale  is 
inexpensive. 

Neufchatel  can  be  made  from  either  raw  or  pasteurized  milk, 
although  pasteurization  insures  a  better  cheese. 

Steps  in  the  process  consist  of:  adding  the  " starter"  and  rennet, 
draining,  pressing  the  curd,  salting  and  molding  the  cheese. 

Neufchatel  cheese  may  be  used  with  pimento,  nut,  chili,  and  various 
other  flavors. 


